Densmore Blog

CFE Tips for the Final Week

The September CFE is this week... whether you are excited, nervous or just glad to be done studying, the exam is going to come and go. Here are a few tips to think about as you prepare this week:

With three days and 13 hours of examinations, the CFE is a marathon. You do need to slow yourself down this week, so that you can give your best performance during the race. Remember, there is no technical review at this point.

On Tuesday morning, review your Day 2 approach. Reinforce the need to stay focused on your role, reading to find the required and then staying balanced to not kill one area, and sacrifice your role depth. BALANCE and DEPTH are critical for Day 2.

Then, take a bit of time on Tuesday to focus on Day 1 and your planned approach. Visualize what you’re going to do on Wednesday and how you’re going to write with that STRATEGIC focus. Read through your Capstone 1 summary notes to remind yourself of who’s who and the significant environmental factors in your Capstone 1 case.

Take Tuesday afternoon off. You’ve done all you can at this point. You want to arrive at the exam on Wednesday morning awake, refreshed and prepared to execute your approach. Stay calm and relaxed.

Once Day 1 is finished, clear your head. It’s perfectly normal to not feel good after each day of the exam. Let it go and focus on switching gears to Day 2. Remember, Day 2 is about DEPTH and scoring Competent. Take no more than an hour on Wednesday afternoon to review the steps of your CFE Day 2 Approach. Then, do something relaxing that will reduce the exam stress and facilitate a good night’s sleep.

After you write Day 2 on Thursday, let it go. Change gears to Day 3, which is all about BREADTH. Take 30 minutes to visualize your CFE Day 3 Approach. Then, on Friday, write the CFE Day 3 cases in sequence and manage your time across the cases and within each case.

Once you finish writing on Friday, relax, reconnect with friends and family and get on with your life. Everything you can do is done, take pride in your work and confidence in the process.
Our best wishes to each of you.